Do you sometimes think you’re all alone as a business owner? Would you like to be able to bounce ideas off on another business owner who understands what it’s like to own a lawn care, landscape or pest control company?
Then you should consider a peer group. Everyone needs to be able to bounce ideas off of like-minded people. The power of peer groups allows you to work through ideas and problems as well as to grow profits and succeed in business.
Peer to Peer Groups
Peer to peer groups, made up of CEOs, business owners and company presidents, talk about the issues they deal with on a daily basis, such as business development, employees, hiring choices, brainstorming and other parts of running a green service business. Peer to peer groups share resources, collective knowledge and a listening ear to their fellow associates.
Here are seven benefits of belonging to a peer group:
Manage company’s growth and development.
You may encounter a stage in your business’s development where you don’t know how to get to the next level. Your experienced peers can help you handle each stage of your company’s growth using their experience and combined wisdom.
Don’t Miss Anything.
During discussions with your peer group, others can point out an area that you may have missed. They can help stop you from making a fatal business decision or give a suggestion to improve communication between staff and crews.
Accountability.
It’s easier to reach your business goals if you have a group of like-minded people holding you accountable; asking if you took the next step toward growth.
Personal Support.
Every business goes through some dark days. It could be that there is a financial problem, you need to lay off part of your sales staff or you’re going through a tough personal time. Your peer group can listen and encourage you to get through this time with your business still intact and profitable.
Rich in resources.
Your peer group will have a collective amount of years—some will have decades of experience while another peer might have just a few years. These folks’ collective knowledge will provide you with resources and insight to help make good decisions for the company.
Listen to ideas.
Do you have a revolutionary idea to get more sales? Do you want to offer a new service? You’ll feel more motivated to pursue your business goals and dreams with a group of people cheering you on in the background.
Learn from successes and failures.
Along with the many years of combined work experience, you’ll gain valuable insight by hearing your peers’ success and failure business stories.
Why Spring-Green Values Peer Groups
Dave Dawson of Spring-Green Lawn Care has witnessed firsthand the benefits of peer groups. “The peer group meetings ensure that franchise owners aren’t on an island trying to figure it out on their own,” Dawson says. “The value is also in the positive peer pressure. Our franchise owners want other owners to be successful, and be the best.”
“When Spring-Green business owners share their company’s financials, KPIs, and other operational metrics, they naturally open up to each other about their business’s success and challenges,” says Dawson. “After spending the day together, they will leave with a list of action items they plan on executing and returning to discuss what was accomplished.”
At Spring-Green, peer groups meet twice a year—in early spring and again in mid-season. Spring-Green also provides intranet forums for each peer group. These forums are private and allow business owners to feel comfortable sharing their ideas, questions and challenges with their peer groups.
From regional peer groups to national training conferences and professional development seminars, partnering with Spring-Green means you are in business for yourself, but never by yourself. See all the ways becoming a Spring-Green Franchise Owner can help you grow and diversify your green industry business when you call 1-800-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmygreenindustrybusiness.com.
